Forums >Running 101>How long did it take for you to enter your first race?
I ran in jr. high and high school and then took off about a billion years (13 really)...and then struggled to get through a mile, after that I trained about 3 months before my first 5 miler.
Michelle
Roadrunner's Apprentice
I finished the Couch to 5K program in February 2011 and it wasn't until September of this year that I decided I had enough confidence to give a local 5K a try. It was a great time and I enjoyed it. I haven't run another race since, but I may join up with a friend for one or two come springtime.
2014 Goals:
- sub-26 5K : sub-56 10K : 1st half marathon
- Tell my excuses to shut up and lace up...
Old , Ugly and slow
when I was 16 in 77 I ran a 15 mile race after 3-4 months.
first race sept 1977 last race sept 2007
2019 goals 1000 miles , 190 pounds , deadlift 400 touch my toes
#RunEveryDay
I started with C25K in 2008 and did my first 5K three months later.
It took me about 9 months from the start to decide to do a 10K.
Then it was another year after that before I decided to try a half.
Not interested in a full mary at all at this point.
Half Fanatic #9292.
Game Admin for RA Running Game 2023.
Fear is a Liar
This may seem insane but about 2 years ago I was going for physical therapy and I saw a brochure for a 5k Turkey Trot that was going to be held in 2 weeks. At that time I had never run outside but had been running on the treadmill strictly for cardio. I told a girlI know who runs and does triathlons that I wanted to race it and my experience. She said to go for it but suggested I run outside to get used to the cold air and feel for a pace. I plotted out three miles and ran it 2 maybe 3 times and that was the extent of my training. Then I ran my first 5k with about 1200 people! No C25K for me!
I'm so vegetarian I don't even eat animal crackers!
BexKix, Bagel Defender
Once I heard of c25k it didn't take long To find one. I gave myself a fee extra weeks which turned out to be a smart move.
I find in general that if I don't have a race on my calendar, it's tough to get out the door.
About a month or so. Seemed like the natural progression of things. I also ran track in HS, so the competitive aspect of it was a big draw. Didn't run another race for two months. Since then, it's been roughly two every month.
Current PRs:
5K: 27:06 (11/10/12) | 5M: 44:03 (6/1/13) | 10K: 1:00:48 (7/4/12)
15K: 1:27:53 (3/17/13) | 10M: 1:30:25 (4/13/13) | HM: 1:59:55 (4/28/13)
Next race: Ashland 4th of July 10K
some call me Tim
It took me about a month, but I planned it from the beginning. I see a lot of kindred spirits in this thread. If there were no races, I can't imagine that I'd still be running. It's an act of will that I don't race every weekend.
And yeah, I have a bunch of friends who run and are really apprehensive about racing, and I always think... if they knew what the field was like, if they knew about the slowpokes out there who enter just so they can be part of something and have a goal to work toward, they'd banish their fears in an instant and just come out and do it.
ME WEBLARG
I've only been "running" for two months and have not even considered entering a race. How about you?
I did my first run after signing up for a 10k. That was a painful mistake.
I finished the C25K program and then my first race was a few weeks after that. So maybe 3 months after I first started running.
A year and two months after starting running. I had signed up for a marathon and thought I should do a half first.
not bad for mile 25
32 years.
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I started running in November 2008. By January, I was thinking I might be ready to run a 5K in about six months. Coincidentally, a guy at work started up a running club, and I was told that my goal was to run the local half in May. Needless to say, that ramped things up for me. I ended up doing a 10 mile in March, then the half. Short answer: three months.
My first race was a 5K about six months after I started running. It was a PB! So was my second race, which shows the advantage of a slow first race.
Squidward Bike Rider
About 2 months...I started running through a local women's workshop, which was 12 weeks long. The optional race at the end of the 12 weeks was our "graduation" from the workshop.
I began walking/running in September of 2010 (couldn't run a full mile nonstop) and ran my first race (half marathon) in March of 2011...and "limped" for 2 weeks afterwards LOL!